24 October 2025

St Mary the Virgin Bickington DHCT Case Study

Case Studies, Who Are We?

Where: St Mary the Virgin, Bickington

Location: Google Maps

The Works: Repairs to the roof

DHCT Grant Awarded: £6,000.00

Total Project Fund: £35,308.66

Date of DHCT Grant Award: 28th April 2025

Project Start: 1st July 2025

Project End: TBC

Overview

Repairs to the roof, tower leadwork and mortar repairs. Lychgate roof repairs, Vestry roof repairs and replacement of plastic gutters & downpipes with cast iron.

The Grant Application & Project

The roof of Bickington’s Grade I Listed historic church in the heart of the village is in need of essential repair to protect the building from the storms, rain and strong wind that we experience more often. In 1952 John Betjeman wrote in The Telegraph, “Time damages an old building as effectively as bombs. Gutters have to be kept clear, interiors heated and ventilated, small repairs carried out before they become big repairs”. Bickington Church needs “big repairs”!

Main roof. In 2024 a generous donation by a member of the church community kickstarted Phase 1 of ‘Repair the Church Roof’ project with £2,000 towards refixing/replacing roof slates on the main church roof. Replace rainwater system. The existing plastic system is inadequate to manage the exceptional levels of rain experienced in recent years. Replacement cast iron guttering, downpipes and hoppers is essential to mitigate the effects of global warming.

Vestry Roof. The repair of the roof was essential to prevent further water ingress, damp, mould and damage to the interior plasterwork. The Vestry was unusable in its deteriorating condition. Archdeacon Douglas granted a List B faculty for the repair work and the D C C, secured EIG approval for the scaffolding and security arrangements. The D C C contracted John Mayne Stonemason and Tor View Roofing to undertake the Vestry roof coping stone repairs and leadwork flashings and we were very pleased with the high standard of workmanship and care taken throughout the contract period.

The award of a grant from Devon Historic Churches Trust encouraged the wider community to support the ‘Repair the Roof’ project. A further £10,000 grant funding was secured (including Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme), plus generous individual donations totalling £3,200 plus community fund raising events raised £2,600. It was an amazing achievement by a small rural community. The Vestry roof lead flashings have been replaced. A skilled stonemason has repaired the coping stones and replaced those beyond repair with 4 new Bath coping stones. Further leadwork repairs have been made to the main roof to ensure that the church roof is watertight. The project is ongoing with quotations now sought for replacement of plastic rainwater goods, cast iron gutters, downpipes and new hoppers, to improve the capacity of rainwater flow. There is still much to do. Bickington Parish Churchwarden and District Church Council are grateful for the DHCT grant that is helping the community with the ongoing challenge of repairing and preserving their Grade 1 listed historic church for future generations.